]]>Master’s degree in sports management named in top 20 of American programs

Liberty University Online’s Master of Science in Sport Management has been named one of the top 20 programs in the country by The Best Schools.

The Best Schools, found online at thebestschools.org, is an online portal that serves as a leading resource for campus and online education. According to their site, their aim is “to help students find the best college and university degree programs to advance their career goals.”

Through The Best Schools’ site, students can search through the type of degree they want, online or on campus, and view how the programs rank with each other.

“Through its ranking of traditional and online degree programs, thebestschools.org empowers you to make the highly informed educational decisions necessary for achieving your career goals,” their website said.

A “thrilled” Dr. Clark Zealand, associate professor and director of graduate studies, said this about the news of the ranking.

“This was very much a surprise.”

Zealand hopes that the rating will draw attention not just to the online program, but also to the residential program.

“Sport management is a dynamic industry,” Zealand said.

According to Zealand, they are currently working on adding new minors to the program.

As the campus grows, Zealand said he hopes the program will as well.

According to The Best Schools’ site, the ranking came from a set of criteria defined as “considerations including the overall academic position of the institution, the depth and innovation of the program, student performance and success, essential elements of the program (such as business foundation and internships), accreditation and reputation.”

Liberty, whose sport management program ranked 12th on the list, takes its place next to colleges such as Texas A&M, Northeastern University, Western Kentucky University, Old Dominion University and Full Sail University.

The Best Schools said Liberty’s program will “have a Christian worldview that will pertain to their career paths in sport management.”

This is not the first time that Liberty has been featured on The Best Schools’ page. On the list of top 20 online Christian colleges, Liberty is listed as number one.

Liberty’s programs are also included on lists such as psychology and the online law program.

Zealand said there is the possibility that being featured on The Best Schools’ page will bring traffic to the university and the growth of the campus can be reflected through the program.

]]>https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2013/11/online-program-honored/feed/0Sports management students go to Europehttps://www.liberty.edu/champion/2013/03/sports-management-students-go-to-europe/
https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2013/03/sports-management-students-go-to-europe/#commentsTue, 26 Mar 2013 13:25:44 +0000http://www.liberty.edu/champion/?p=19671Sports management students will take a trip to Europe this …

]]>Sports management students will take a trip to Europe this May, where they will visit the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland.

Students taking the trip will have the opportunity to visit the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and International Olympic Committee (IOC) offices, as well as Hague University, a German university known for its sports programs, and other international sports attractions.

According to sports management professor Christopher Amos, the Sports Management Department has been sending students all over the U.S., and even around the globe, in order to give them an accurate idea of the different jobs available in the sports world.

The department arranges trips each fall and spring to a variety of sports events and conferences where students have the opportunity to network and get internships and jobs opportunities.

Under this program, students have the opportunity to work with NASCAR, visit with the Washington Redskins, Baltimore Orioles and the NFL Players Association as well as attend different sports conferences.

According to Amos, the purpose behind these trips is to get students away from the classroom and out into the real world.

“It is connecting theory to practice,” Amos said. “I could sit here and I can teach out of the book, but it is another thing when you get to experience it. … That is one of the reasons we stress in the department this emphasis on experiential learning, them getting out in the field.”

Austin Lawrence, a sophomore studying sports management, took part in the February trip to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.

The goal of this conference was to study and further the use of statistical analysis in sports, according to Amos. It gave students an opportunity to network with individuals from many different sports teams and media organizations.

According to Lawrence, students were also able to attend a variety of panel discussions in order to learn more about the sports management profession.

“I made new connections on this trip, which are leading to new opportunities after I am done here at Liberty,” Lawrence said.

Junior sports management major Samantha Shivock took part in last fall’s trip to D.C., which included visits to the Washington Redskins and the NFL Players Association offices.

“I had the honor of meeting an incredible accumulation of people from all different areas in the sport world where I not only gained knowledge according to their specific jobs, but also received exceptional advice from them for my career path,” Shivock said.

Amos hopes that students will use the trips to their advantage in their search for a career.